Research Group

Neuromuscular research - Petro's group

Group leader

Adjunct Professor

Mervi Könönen

Post Doc researchers

Laura Säisänen

Nils Danner

Minna Pitkänen

Ph.D. students

Olli Löfberg

Jusa Reijonen

Jukka Saari

Dao Ngyuen

Shohreh Kariminezhad

Jani Sirkka

Atte Eskelinen

Overview

The human motor function is controlled by the brain, which sensitively adjusts the excitability of muscle based on the requirements for motor action in those muscles. Neural plasticity is utilized to optimize the activation capacity of muscles during development/impairment of the motor functions and after a trauma. Method for individual assessment of neural reserves available for recruitment through neural plasticity is not available, even though such method would have significant impact on prognostics and the targeting of treatment routines in various diseases and conditions e.g., stroke, epilepsy, after knee surgery, etc. The neuromuscular assessment benefits are extended to understanding basic neurophysiological phenomena and longitudinal adaptations of human motor function. Theoretical assessment of changes in motor function provide insight to the mechanisms responsible for and reactive to changes in the requirements of motor action.

Our research focuses on the functional imaging, theoretical assessment and biomechanical measurement of the neuromuscular function connecting the human brains to motion. Our main focus is in the quantitative analysis motor function, and motor cortical control of muscle action. Our group develops, improves and utilizes novel methods for assessment of human motor function.

The key methods we apply and develop are navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation, electromyography, modeling of neural function, motion analysis, imaging and biomechanical tests and modeling. We active collaboration with other national and international research groups.